Most electronic devices generate thermal energy. Some such devices, depending on size, packaging, use, etc., generate so much heat that the device itself may be damaged or operate improperly unless excess thermal energy is removed during operation.
Heat sinks of various forms are conventionally used to protect electronic devices from excess heat. Heat sinks, of course, take many forms. Normally they are adapted to absorb and/or dissipate thermal energy into the surrounding environment. For purposes of this disclosure, a heat sink is any body of metal or like material which is placed in contact with an electronic device package for transferring heat from the device contained in the device package into the atmosphere by conduction, convection and/or radiation.
Heat sinks are commonly glued or otherwise adhesively attached to electronic device packages. However, adhesive assembly of the heat sink to the electronic device package is messy, tedious, labor intensive and requires accurate alignment of the parts. It is therefore expensive. Furthermore, many commonly used adhesives emit fumes or otherwise constitute an undesirable health hazard. Frequently, it is necessary to cure the adhesive at elevated temperatures for extended periods of time, further increasing manufacturing costs.
It is sometimes necessary and/or desirable to remove the electronic device package from the heat sink for repair or replacement. This is, of course, difficult or impossible to accomplish when the heat sink is adhesively secured to the electronic device package.
Heat sinks may also be mechanically attached to electronic device packages using screws, bolts, rivets or the like as well as by using resilient metal clips or the like mounted on the heat sink which urge the heat sink and the electronic device package into mutual contact. The resilient clip enables the heat sink to be easily removed from the electronic device package. However, this approach is sometimes undesirable in several respects. For example, where the clip forms part of the heat sink, different heat sinks must be formed to accept different device packages. However, various heat sinks are acceptable for dissipating thermal energy from various different device packages. The limiting use of the heat sink, however, may be the size, shape, etc., of the clip. Furthermore, most clips designed for attaching electronic device packages to heat sinks are secured in a fixed relationship so that substantial force must be used to insert the device package between the clip and the heat sink body. Ordinarily, this involves use of special tools or the like which not only increase the time and effort required to assemble an electronic device package on a heat sink, the force applied to the electronic device package during assembly may cause damage to the device package or the electronic device itself. It is, therefore, desirable that a mounting clip be provided which may be used in connection with various heat sinks and various electronic device packages so that mounting clips of various sizes and shapes may be used interchangeably with heat sinks of various sizes and shapes. Furthermore, it is also highly desirable that mounting clips for attaching electronic devices to heat sinks be operable to permit assembly and mounting of electronic device packages on heat sinks without use of special tools or the like. Instead, it is desirable that such devices be available so that device packages can be quickly and conveniently attached to heat sinks using nothing more than pressure applied directly to the clip or mounting device by hand or with simple tools. It is also desirable that mounting of electronic device packages on heat sinks be accomplished without the danger of causing damage to the device or device package during the assembly process.